by Tasha Fawkes
“Fine. I’m sorry,” Matt says. He stares at me with the same intense expression that he always has. “I'm just saying, be careful. Okay? Things are going to get very messy once we start approaching them for the merger. Just be ready for that,” he murmurs.
“I'm ready for anything,” I say, glaring at him, not caring that I sound like a ten-year-old.
“Well, I don't think you are,” Matt says. He shakes his head and sits back in his chair. “Honestly? I don't think you have any idea what kind of strain this merger is going to put on your relationship. And even if you do handle it, what’s to say that she won’t crack? Is she strong, Rex? Can she handle this fight that you’ve put her into?”
“Of course she can,” I mutter. But even as I say it, the doubts are starting to creep in.
I frown at him, not understanding why he has to always be such a downer. Why can’t he be supportive and give me some positive feedback? He sucks the joy out of everything, particularly where I’m involved. He sighs and sits forward, rubbing the back of his neck. He looks tired, which makes me wonder if there is more going on than he’s letting me know.
“I think we need to talk,” he murmurs.
“What is there to talk about?” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. I stare at him stiffly as he stands up and grabs his jacket. “And where are you going?
“Come on,” he says, turning back to me. “We can’t talk here.”
I follow him out the door, with no idea what's going on.
We can’t talk in his office? Why the hell not, for God’s sake?
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask him as we exit the elevator on the ground floor.
“Just come with me, okay?” he murmurs, glancing around, as he’s making sure nobody heard me. I sigh and follow him outside. Whatever this is, it had better be important.
We walk the few blocks in silence, stopping outside a small bar. We walk inside and the waitress smiles at Matt, then the bartender calls out hello too. I glance at him and raise my eyebrows.
“What?” he says in a defensive tone. “I come in here a bit when I need an escape from work.”
“Uh huh,” I say.
And here I was thinking the guy never took a break. I’m starting to wonder how much work he actually gets done.
We take a seat in one of the booths, because they’re dark and out of the way. I slide my ass along the worn, leather material and then scowl at Matt. My heart pounds, because honestly? I’m nervous. These kind of conversations never end well when it comes to my brother. God knows what he’s going to throw at me now. Another condition in the will? I shake my head. Henry would be here for that. I tap my finger down on the table as the waitress wanders over. Matt orders a Scotch and I order a beer, I wait until she’s left before I look at Matt expectantly, my eyebrows raised.
“So what's this about?” I ask him impatiently. “I don't understand what you could possibly have to say to me that couldn't have been said back there in your office. Why did we have to come here?”
“If you shut up for two minutes, I’ll tell you,” he says with a sigh. He rubs his temples, then looks at me, that tired look back in his eyes. “We’re here because I didn't want to risk anyone hearing me tell you this,” he mutters.
“Tell me what?” I say, my patience wearing thinner by the second. He releases a loud sigh and shakes his head, while I ball my hands into tight fists, trying to resist the urge to reach over and shake him. “For fuck’s sake, Matt, just get it out.”
“There is something you need to know,” he says, leveling his eyes on mine.
My heart drops. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but even I know this isn’t sounding good. I nod and shift in my seat, something I do when I’m nervous. I reach up and loosen my collar, suddenly feeling very hot.
“For God's sake, what is it now?” I growl. The suspense is killing me.
“It's about our grandfather,” Matt murmurs.
I stiffen. “Isn’t it always about him these days?” I mumble.
Matt shrugs. “You might have a point there.” He looks at me for a moment before continuing. “He didn’t do this because he wanted to teach you the value of work, or because he hoped to get you involved in the business, Rex. His intention was neither.”
“Then what was it?” I ask, forcing the words out.
I’m running through the reasons in my head and what I keep coming back to is that maybe he just flat out hated me that much that he set me up to fail. Maybe that’s all there is to it? God knows I couldn’t impress him when he was alive, why should that be any different in death?
I lock my fingers around the glass that’s just been placed in front of me. Matt smiles at the waitress, waiting until she’s left, before continuing.
“It was to try to settle a decade-old fuel feud with Eric Denton. Shana's grandfather,” he says. I stare at him, shocked. This is the first I’ve heard of any feud. How long has he been sitting on that one?
“What do you mean, feud?” I ask, glaring at him. My hands tense against the glass. If I hold onto it any tighter, it’s going to shatter in my hand.
“Simple. He wanted this process to be as difficult and destructive as possible, because he wanted to tear Denton apart.” He pauses, staring down at his drink. “And he wanted to use you to do it.”
“What are you saying?” I ask him, my voice oddly quiet.
“I’m saying that you’re role is as a distraction. You chasing Shana was supposed to distract you long enough, so we could get the job done.”
I stare at Matt, shocked at what I’m hearing. He wanted me to go after Shana? I feel sick. They set me up, and I fell for it.
“The board has been planning this takeover bid and strategy plan all along,” he continues. Nothing about his voice is smug or boastful, he’s just telling me the truth. “When your involvement came to light, they wanted a way to keep you out of it, while still satisfying Henry.”
“You never believed I could actually get her on our side,” I say, sitting back against the seat. Matt nods. “I was never in control of this, was I?” I frown at him. “Did you suggest to them that me chasing Shana would be enough of a distraction to keep me out of the way?” He doesn’t answer. My jaw clenches. “I see.”
“I had no choice,” Matt shakes his head. “To the board, your involvement was nothing more than an unwanted obstacle.” He pauses and looks at me. “And in my defense, when have you ever shown me any interest beyond hosting the next hot party?”
He’s right. That life feels like so long ago now. Matt’s expression softens.
“The reality is, you're right. No one ever expected you to get Shana to agree to go behind her father's back, and you did a good job getting her to agree.”
“But?” I say when he pauses.
“But it doesn’t matter.” He shrugs and looks at me sadly. “This takeover was always going to be hostile, Rex. There was always going to be a lot of bloodshed. That was the idea all along.”
I frown at him, the full impact of what this means sinking in. I had no control over any of this. I basically fell into their trap and did what they wanted me to without any hesitation at all. God, I’m such a fool. I snap back to attention and frown at Matt, a question burning in my mind. I almost don’t want to ask, because I know I’m not going to like the answer.
“Shana?” I finally ask, my voice soft. My heart races. “I promised her that she would be looked after. Will that still happen?”
Matt shakes his head, his expression solemn.
“There isn’t going to be anything left to look after, Rex.”
I sit there, shaking with anger. I feel sick. How the fuck am I supposed to explain that to her? I’m gutted that they think so little of me, but right now that’s the last thing on my mind. All I care about is what this is going to do to her.
I look up and stare at Matt. His lack of confidence in me hurts the most. He doesn't believe I can do this either. All this time, I thought I was slowly earning his
respect, and it turns out he was laughing at me behind my back.
“Can’t you do something to stop this?” I ask, my voice rising. I’m clutching at straws, but I have to keep trying. He shakes his head and something inside me snaps. “Why the fuck not?” I growl, glaring at him.
“Because I can’t stop them, Rex,” he says. He frowns at me and shakes his head, like this is hard on him too. “This is the one way they know it will work. Your way is a risk that they’re not willing to take.”
“But that’s bullshit,” I mutter. “You said yourself that no one expected me to get this far. If that’s the case, let me keep going,” I say, clenching my teeth. I stand up and pace the room, almost at the point of pleading with him. “I can do this, Matt. I can see this through to the end, and we can do it with minimal disruption. If we keep things as calm as possible, isn't that in the best interest of everyone? Isn’t a viable investment better than destroying it?” I ask.
“It wasn’t Grandfather’s intention to have a viable company when this is over,” he reminds me. “He wanted revenge. To destroy Eric’s legacy.” Matt frowns at me. “Which is why I’m not sure the board will agree with any proposal that doesn’t involve destroying Denton Industries.”
“Why would they even care about that?” I frown.
“Because he made it clear before he died that this would be his intention,” Matt explains. He sighs and places his hands down on the table. “They used to be friends, you know. They were best friends for years, until Eric started an affair with our grandmother.”
I stare at him, shocked, my anger rising all over again.
How did I not know any of this?
More to the point, how the fuck did Matt know?
“So you knew all of this, and you expect me to believe that you knew nothing about it being a stipulation in his will?” I ask him slowly.
“Believe whatever the fuck you want,’ Matt frowns. “I didn’t know shit about this. You think I would’ve fulfilled mine if I knew you had this ahead of you?” He sighs and looks at me. “I knew about the hostile takeover because grandfather told me. Not in so much detail, just that he had a plan to make sure Denton got what was coming to him. I had no idea about his will or any of that. I swear.”
I stare at him for a moment, then begrudgingly decide to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“So, what happened when he found out about the affair?” I ask.
“By then, it had been going on for months. He was so angry and embarrassed that the man he trusted like a brother betrayed him in the worst possible way.” He stares at me, his eyes full of emotion. “If that wasn’t bad enough, he found out that Eric had been slowly working toward gaining control of his company. All the blood, sweat, and tears he had put into that company, all the sacrifices he’d made, it was all for nothing.”
“And that company was Denton Industries,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“Right,” he nods. “I know it doesn’t help, but at least now you understand a little of his motivation.”
I feel a moment of sympathy for my grandfather, but I snap out of it pretty quickly when I remember what an asshole he was. I turn back to Matt and frown at him.
“This doesn’t change your lying to me, or the fact that I’ve screwed Shana’s life. Can you talk to the board? See if you can convince them that salvaging Denton is in their best interests?” I beg him.
“It won’t do any good,” he says softly. “You’re not listening to me. They won’t change their plan. Not even for me. It’s out of my hands.”
“Bullshit,” I say, my heart pounding. “You have more sway in that boardroom than anyone else. They respect you. They trust you. If you tell them I have this under control and that they can benefit from a peaceful takeover, they’ll step down and let me do this.”
“Why are you suddenly so concerned about doing this peacefully…” His voice trails off. “Because of her, right? You don’t actually care about the company, just her.”
“Of course I care about her,” I explode. I shake my head, my anger seeping out. “But doesn’t it make sense to avoid a fucking bloodbath if we can?”
Matt sighs. “Fine.” He looks at me. “But I can’t promise anything,” he adds.
“All I ask is you have my back,” I murmur. The one thing you’ve never done.
“Of course I have your back,” he says. “But having your back means telling you straight out when something isn’t going to happen. Isn’t it?” He looks at me intently as I shrug. He sighs. “Look, I’m sorry. Okay? For what it’s worth, I do feel bad.”
“Oh, well that’s okay then,” I drawl, sarcasm dripping off my voice. “I’ll be sure to tell Shana that too when she has nothing left.”
I stand up. “I’m going home,” I mutter. “Because if I hang around much longer, I’ll end up saying something I regret.”
“Okay,” Matt nods. “Maybe we can talk more when you’ve calmed down a bit?” he suggests.
I laugh and then realize he’s serious.
Right now I don’t feel like I’m ever going to calm down.
I stand outside the bar, leaning against the brick wall, feeling desperate. I don’t know what to do, or how to fix this. I’ve fucked everything up, big time. The funny thing is that this was the one time I didn’t even realize I was doing it. I’ve messed up plenty of times before, but they were usually my own fault and I could see it coming from a mile away. This time, there was no warning. I spin around and kick the wall, cursing loudly as pain throbs through my foot.
“Fuck,” I hiss, loud enough that people walking past give me a wide berth.
I can't believe this is happening.
I'm angry, frustrated, and most of all, hurt. I thought I was worth more than this to my brother, at least. He won't stand up for me, because he can’t stand up for something he doesn’t believe in. I force myself away from the wall and walk down the street. My car is in the other direction, but I don’t care. I’m probably not fit to drive right now anyway.
I just wish I knew what to do now.
I’m halfway down the street when my phone rings, startling me out of my thoughts. I glance at it, my heart stopping when I see Shana's name. I stare at it, not moving, because I can't bring myself to actually answer her call. I let it ring out and then I send her a text.
Me: Sorry. In a meeting. Call you later?
Her: Sure. I just wanted to see if you want to come over later?
I frown, but force myself to respond, even though I’m not sure I can ever face her again.
Me: Okay.
I slide my phone back in my pocket, feeling a wave of nausea hitting me. If I can't handle a phone call with her, how the fuck am I going to get though the whole night with her right there, in my face? The smartest thing I can do is make up some other plans. I have to go, because this might be the last night we get to spend together. But then again, I’m not known for making the smartest decisions.
If I were, then I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.
Fourteen
Shana
I stare thoughtfully at my phone as I re-read Rex's message for the tenth time.
There’s nothing to suggest anything is actually wrong, but I can’t shake the feeling I have in the pit of my stomach telling me to be wary. His text reads like any other text he might send me, but there’s something going on. I’m sure of it. I put my phone away and get back to work, but my mind has other ideas. Maybe I’m trying to read between lines that just aren’t there. I shake my head and take a deep breath, trying to snap myself out of the mood I’m in.
I smile in spite of the insecurities I’m feeling, because I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to seeing him later. My phone vibrates again. I glance over and pick it up, expecting it to be Rex. But it's not, it's Ash. I wince, instantly feeling guilty that I haven’t been in contact with her.
Ash: I feel like I never see you anymore.
Me: I'm sorry, let's do something soon
? Let me know when you’re free.
Ash: How’s tomorrow?
Me: Tomorrow is good. Let me know when and where, and I'll be there.
I smile as I put my phone back down on the other side of the desk, where it’s less of a distraction. It will do me good to go out with Ash. Maybe she can shed some light on how I approach this thing with Rex.
The work day finally wraps up, and I head home.
I have a quick shower and then change into something more comfortable and put on some mascara and fresh lip gloss. I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I run the brush through my thick, dark hair. A flutter races through me as I shiver. I’m feeling really nervous to see him, to be honest, and I don't know why. How is this any different than every other time it's been over? Maybe there’s something he isn’t telling me. I think back to that text exchange and shake my head. I know I’m overthinking things, but I can’t help it. Stop it. You’re going to drive yourself crazy or do something you regret if you keep this up.
I stare at myself for a moment longer and then take a deep breath, forcing all my concerns to the back of my mind. I wash my hands and dry them roughly with a hand towel. My eyes rise up to meet my reflection in the mirror. I stand there, my heart pounding as I stare at myself. The realization hits me out of nowhere, so powerful that I almost step back, like a freight train is running me down. I lean against the counter in the bathroom, my heart racing. That’s why this bothers me so much. I’m terrified of getting hurt because I'm in love with him.
Wow. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I’m doing both. It’s such a big thing for me to admit, because admitting that means opening myself up to him. I'm not sure I'm ready for that, because once I do, there’s no going back. How do I protect myself from getting hurt if I let myself be vulnerable? Isn't that what I’ve fought against my whole life, letting people in to see the real me?
